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Stuart E. Eizenstat, Under Secretary for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs Statement released by the Office of the Spokesman Washington, DC, July 16, 1997

Last year, the President asked me to serve as his special representative to launch, for the first time in the 37 years since Castro took power, a broad, multilateral effort to promote democracy in Cuba. The President launched the initiative because of his determination to use every diplomatic tool at his disposal to advance the cause of democracy in this hemisphere. The President's initiative built on years of bipartisan policy toward Cuba. The initiative was launched at the same time the President acted to suspend the right of claimants to file suit under Title III of the Libertad Act, also known as Helms-Burton. He wanted to use the opportunity presented by the six-month suspension to explore whether U.S. friends and allies were prepared to do more to achieve our common objective of a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba.

Initially, there were few who believed that anything would come of our efforts. After months of effort, thorough consultation with the Congress and the Cuban-American community, and thousands of miles of travel by many dedicated people, we have succeeded in launching an unprecedented, multilateral effort that has changed the terms of the discussion about Cuba. As I said last January, much more can, should, and will be done, but today we can genuinely say that it is Cuba's government that is increasingly isolated in the Western Hemisphere and around the world. The international pressure on Cuba to initiate true democratic change that began many months ago has continued to increase and is now at the highest level than at any time since Fidel Castro established a Communist regime in Cuba. Castro himself has felt it necessary to increase his diplomatic activity to counter the effects of the President's initiative. The United States is not acting alone. This is good news for the people of Cuba and for those who love freedom everywhere.

As I did last January, I would like to brief you today on the positive developments in this historic multilateral initiative. We have continued to encourage three main groups to increase their activities to promote democracy: governments, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. There has been additional significant activity in all of these sectors.

In the government sphere, I reported last January about the EU's "Common Position," an historic, legally binding commitment of all 15 members and the European Commission to press harder for human rights and democratic change in Cuba. The Common Position served as an important stepping stone to an unprecedented and significant agreement with the U.S.--the April 11 "Understanding."

On April 11, 1997, the United States and the European Union signed an "Understanding" that recommits both sides to continue their stepped up efforts to promote democracy in Cuba and to encourage other nations to do so. For the first time, the EU committed to encourage other countries to promote democracy and human rights in Cuba.

In May at the U.S.- EU Summit, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to work with us to promote democracy in Cuba. In June, after a detailed fact-finding mission, EU Member States, finding no improvement in Cuba's dismal human rights record, recommitted themselves to the "Common Position" for an additional six months. Among other actions, the EU Member States have broadened their contacts with human rights activists and independent groups in Cuba.

There have been important developments outside of the European Union. On April 16, the UN Human Rights Commission adopted the U.S.-proposed resolution on human rights in Cuba with a record 27 co-sponsors. This support is a strong indication of the growing international consensus in favor of democratic change in Cuba, and the growing isolation of the Cuban Government.

Spain is especially important because of its role in the EU and its historic ties to Latin American and to Cuba. The Spanish parliament, chairing the Ibero-American Inter-Parliamentary Conference in which Cuba has long participated, took the unprecedented step of telling the Cuban national assembly that it could attend this year only as an observer. Despite Cuba's protests, Spain's parliament held fast to its view that full participants in the conference should represent truly democratic countries.

In Latin America, there has also been a growing effort to encourage democratic change in Cuba. The leaders of Argentina, Nicaragua, and El Salvador have made statements calling on the Cuban government to begin the process of democratization and to respect the commitments Castro himself made to democracy and human rights at the 1996 Ibero-American Summit. In June, I met in Washington with the Presidents of Nicaragua and El Salvador and representatives of several other Latin American governments to explore additional measures we can take together to promote peaceful democratic change in Cuba. I will travel to the region in August to pursue this agenda with our Central American friends. We will give special attention to Latin America in the months ahead.

The multinational effort to promote democratic change in Cuba does not consist only of governmental activity. Non-governmental organizations--NGOs--have made a growing and important contribution in the past six months.

On February 21, the leading Dutch NGO, Pax Christi, sponsored a landmark conference for European NGOs on the need to increase cooperation on programs directed toward the development of civil society, human rights, and democracy in Cuba. This conference resulted from the creation in November 1996 of the "European Platform on Democracy and Human Rights in Cuba," supported by a dozen European NGOs.

Last week, Pax Christi issued a statement expressing its commitment to promotion of democracy in Cuba. Pax Christi said that it "seeks to mobilize solidarity among European human rights organizations with those Cubans who strive for human rights and a peaceful transition to democracy." The statement notes the "state of spiritual, moral, and economic deprivation that the Cubans have to live in," and describes government acts of "intimidation" against human rights activists and the "inhumane" conditions faced by prisoners, including hundreds of political prisoners.

On April 19, the ruling Dutch political parties held a conference, organized by the Liberal Party International, on human rights and a peaceful democratic transition in Cuba. Assistant Secretary John Shattuck gave an important address to this group. This conference brought together established political parties and NGO's to coordinate and enhance programs aimed at supporting democracy and human rights movements in Cuba, called for the release of Cuba's political prisoners, and called on the Cuban government to allow "a peaceful transition towards a democratic society ruled by respect for rule of law."

The multilateral, multifaceted effort to promote democratic change in Cuba would not be complete without the involvement of the private sector. Both business and labor are playing an important role.

The North America Committee of the National Policy Association, composed of business and labor leaders of the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, on July 1 issued a statement delineating a set of principles which it advocates should be applied to businesses in Cuba. The principles include many areas that we in democratic nations take for granted, such as respect for due process of law, the right to organize and join a union, and the absence of political coercion in the workplace.

The principles also encourage businesses in Cuba to "work to gain the right to recruit, contract, pay, and promote workers directly, not through government intermediaries." This illustrates the tragic reality of Cuba today--a company or an individual is not permitted to hire a worker without government permission, and an individual does not have the right to go to work for another without government permission. This extensive control of basic economic life has stifled Cuba's economy and is a major reason for the continued poverty and shortages that the Cuban people heroically confront every day.

The President has reviewed these developments and believes that this multilateral effort would not be strengthened by the initiation of law suits under Title III. To make additional progress, we must continue to have the cooperation of our allies. As a result, the President again has decided to suspend the right to file suit under Title III for an additional six months.

As the President indicated last January when he suspended the right to file suit, and as we indicated in the Understanding with the EU on April 11, he would expect to continue to suspend so long as our allies are stepping up their activity in support of democracy in Cuba. Clearly, all the activity I have described is positive and should be encouraged, and will be monitored. We will continue to exert high-level attention to this effort.

We have public, high-level commitments from our allies, but we will continue to consult closely with them to build and strengthen the multilateral effort. We will follow closely EU implementation of the Common Position and related steps to promote democracy. We will work closely with our Latin American allies as they develop their efforts to promote democracy in Cuba. This is the continuation of our effort to build a multilateral approach. More can and should be done. We will not be satisfied until there is a free and democratic Cuba. As President Clinton noted in his statement, key countries in Europe, Central America, and South America have made clear that they are no longer conducting "business as usual" with the Castro Government.

This issue is extremely important to the President, as it is to many Members of Congress. We have consulted extensively with Congress and will continue to do so as the multilateral initiative develops.

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